


Twin High Maintenance Machines

by WildnessBecomesYou



Category: Ratched (TV)
Genre: F/F, Smut, TGTYEL-verse, allusions to cancer, and wants to absolutely rail mildred, mostly: gwendolyn is horny, possibly inaccurate side effects of mistletoe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:41:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28494054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WildnessBecomesYou/pseuds/WildnessBecomesYou
Summary: Mistletoe, as it turns out, boosts appetites. And not just for food.
Relationships: Gwendolyn Briggs/Mildred Ratched
Comments: 50
Kudos: 168





	Twin High Maintenance Machines

**Author's Note:**

> I posted a whole list of "missing scenes" from TGTYEL over on tumblr, and an anon requested I go with the "mistletoe makes Gwendolyn horny" one, and I just... couldn't stop thinking about it. So. Here we are!! 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy my self-indulgence :) 
> 
> Title for this fic comes from "This Year" by The Mountain Goats, which is a song I listen to at the beginning of the year to make a promise to myself. I sincerely encourage you all to go do the same. <3

Doctor De la Peña had warned both Gwendolyn and Mildred that once the mistletoe built up in Gwendolyn’s body, there might be some side effects. 

“The main purpose of this treatment,” she’d said, “is to reduce the nausea Missus Briggs is suffering from. It will help you do the things the chemotherapy is making more difficult. That being said, you may notice some…differences. In appetite, for one.” 

Mildred supposes she missed the innuendo in that one. 

The first time she notices a real difference, Gwendolyn had driven herself to an appointment. She’d insisted she would drive herself, that she doesn’t feel nearly as nauseous now and was certain she’d be fine. Mildred had still decided to make another nausea-reducing brew: ginger, boiled until the water is disturbingly yellow, add mint at the last minute, and the tiniest bit of brown sugar to encourage hunger. 

She’s staring at the boiling ginger, wondering whether it’s suitably yellow enough, when Gwendolyn arrives home. “How was it?” she calls. “Do you still feel alright?” 

Mildred doesn’t hear anything in return, not vocally. The door clicks shut, the lock falls into place, and she hears Gwendolyn remove her shoes. She’s about to call out again when Gwendolyn utters a soft “Incoming,” just a breath away from her right ear. 

“Jesus, Gwendolyn,” she giggles when she’s recovered, “you startled me!” 

Gwendolyn hums in answer, and Mildred leans back against her, breathes in her smell. There’s an overtone of antiseptic to her, but she still smells of lavender, and a recently-smoked cigarette. Gwendolyn’s hands find her hips, fingers curving around the sharper angles in the front, squeezing lightly. Her lips find the crook of Mildred’s neck, where she places a closed-mouth kiss to the skin. 

It still makes Mildred shiver. 

“Are you feeling alright?” she repeats. 

Gwendolyn nips at her skin and she shudders, sucks a breath in through her teeth. “Just fine,” Gwendolyn mutters, pulls Mildred’s hips closer against her. “Come here.”

Mildred moves one hand to grip at Gwendolyn’s arm. “I’m making you a drink,” she protests, even as she stumbles a little to the side. 

“It’s not going anywhere,” Gwendolyn responds. She tugs Mildred further to the right, uses her own hips to pin Mildred to the counter. 

“Gwendolyn?” she breathes, suddenly in want for air. One of Gwendolyn’s hands moves to the flat of Mildred’s stomach, curling until her fingers dip inside one side of her buttoned-up blouse. 

“No slip,” Gwendolyn rasps. “Hmm.” 

Mildred jerks a little, pushes back against Gwendolyn despite herself. “We— we weren’t going anywhere,” she stutters. 

Gwendolyn pops one of the buttons open, grinding her hips forward as she does. Mildred whines a little, pitching forward, bracing herself against the counter with the hand that isn’t gripping Gwendolyn’s arm. Gwendolyn presses kiss after kiss to her neck, takes her time with it as she pops another button open. By the time she speaks again, Mildred is panting, fingertips digging into the granite countertops. 

“Tell me to stop,” Gwendolyn husks in her ear, turns to nip at the shell of it, “and I will.”

“No,” Mildred gasps, lets herself fall forward. She braces herself on her forearms and hisses when it pushes her hips back into Gwendolyn’s. “Don’t— don’t stop.” 

Gwendolyn chuckles, follows Mildred forward. “That’s a good girl.”

“Gwen—“ 

“Shh,” Gwendolyn murmurs, pushes herself up, presses kisses down Mildred’s spine as she finishes undoing Mildred’s blouse. “I’ve got you.” 

Mildred whines around a stuttered exhale, arches up when Gwendolyn presses her chest to Mildred’s back. She manages to slip a hand under the cup of Mildred’s brassiere, brush her thumb across the softness of Mildred’s breast. It pulls a moan from her throat, and there’s that chuckle again, and Mildred’s hips buck forward towards the countertop. 

“Please, Gwen,” Mildred begs. 

Gwendolyn mouths at the left side of her neck. “What do you need, baby?” She grinds her hips forward, and Mildred pushes back against her, whines when it does little for the ache between her legs. “Tell me.” 

“Touch me,” Mildred gasps. “Please, touch me.”

“I am touching you,” Gwendolyn retorts, teasing, pinches lightly at Mildred’s breast. Mildred jerks again, throws her head back against the front of Gwendolyn’s shoulder. 

“Gwen,” she tries to scold. It doesn’t work very well; Gwendolyn chuckles and nips at her neck instead. 

She smooths her hands down Mildred’s stomach, makes a pleased little noise at the panting she can hear and feel. She teases her fingers at the waistband of Mildred’s skirt. “Do you want my fingers here?” she asks. 

Mildred tries to pull herself up and forward, force Gwendolyn’s fingers down, but Gwendolyn follows her body with a practised ease. Mildred feels her cheeks heat, her chest flush. “ _Gwendolyn_.”

Gwendolyn lets out a puff of air, warm against Mildred’s cheek. She reaches between the two of them with one hand and flicks the clasp of her skirt open, but doesn’t bother with the zipper. Mildred is about to call out to her again when Gwendolyn’s fingers return to the front of her body, dip below the waistband of the skirt. 

“Patience, baby,” she mutters. 

Mildred is about to retort that patience has gotten her nothing so far when Gwendolyn’s fingers dip into her panties and between her folds. She gasps, rocks into Gwendolyn’s hand, bites her lip against a moan. 

“Is that better?” Gwendolyn asks. 

“More,” Mildred gasps, clawing at the countertop to try and steady herself. 

Gwendolyn grinds her hips forward, moves her free hand to the base of Mildred’s neck. She pulls Mildred upright as she pushes forward, and Mildred twists her head to the side. 

Gwendolyn surges forward and kisses her, messy and hungry, until she pushes Mildred forward. The granite is cool against her chest, almost enough to soothe her. Her left hand snakes out from beneath her body, and Gwendolyn lets Mildred’s neck go to grab at her wrist instead. “Careful, baby, there’s a fire there.” 

Mildred hiccups a breath, thunks her forehead down to the granite. “I can’t—“ 

Gwendolyn rolls her hips forwards again, moving Mildred with her, and she can’t bite down quick enough to stifle the moan this time. It bounces off the countertop, ricochets around Mildred’s ears, turns her cheeks red with the sound. 

Gwendolyn releases her wrist, tugs at the collar of her blouse. Mildred wants to protest that she’ll rip the thing, but she can’t focus enough to form words around the rocking between Gwendolyn’s fingers on her clit and Gwendolyn’s hips against hers. “Sweet thing,” she mutters, breath ghosting across Mildred’s skin, and Mildred whines.

Mildred’s head lifts off the counter, her hips jerking forward, when Gwendolyn sucks at the spot where her neck and shoulder meet. “Gwen,” she gasps. “Gwen, please!” 

Gwendolyn chuckles, bites down lightly and scrapes her teeth against Mildred’s skin as she pulls away. She thrusts with her hips, dips her fingers into the wetness dripping from Mildred’s center, hisses in approval when Mildred pushes back against her. “Oh, good girl, look at you.” 

Mildred whines, tries to press her thighs together to change the angle. Gwendolyn rolls her hand again, husks little sweet things in her ear, thrusts against her until Mildred is scrabbling at the counter again. “Are you there, baby?” she asks. 

Mildred nods frantically, moaning weakly, her forehead thumping against the counter. 

“Come for me,” Gwendolyn commands, and then she bites down on the soft part of Mildred’s shoulder, and Mildred nearly screams as the world bursts into light. 

Her thighs shake, her abdomen spasming wildly, and she pushes herself up on her toes without meaning to. Gwendolyn growls around her flesh, and she cries out weakly as another shock of electricity rolls through her. 

Gwendolyn switches to pressing soft kisses against Mildred’s skin, brings both hands to Mildred’s hips again to pull her upright. Mildred heaves breaths in and rests her head back against Gwendolyn’s shoulder. 

“Give— oh, Lord, Gwendolyn— give me a moment, and I’ll—“ 

Gwendolyn pats her hip affectionately and kisses her cheek. “No need, darling.” 

She pulls Mildred towards a chair and deposits her there, slips her fingers into Mildred’s hair and scrunches lightly. “Do you want this boiling still?” she asks, and Mildred blinks her eyes open. 

“What?”

Gwendolyn chuckles. “The ginger. Do you want it boiling?” 

“N-no,” Mildred manages, and Gwendolyn turns the flame off, spins around to press a kiss to Mildred’s forehead. 

She moves off, muttering something about a book, and Mildred is left terribly confused and jelly-legged. 

The morning after the next, Mildred wakes to a soft panting beside her. At first, she’s alarmed, cracks one eye open to observe Gwendolyn. 

Her brow is dotted with little beads of sweat, her eyebrows furrowed, her eyes squeezed shut. Mildred opens both eyes, almost reaches out. 

And then Gwendolyn whimpers. It doesn’t sound unpleasant. In fact, it sounds— 

She follows the line of Gwendolyn’s arm down, realizes— 

_Oh._

Gwendolyn sucks a breath in, her lips parting, and her hips jerk on the mattress. She pushes her head back against the pillows and grits her teeth against a moan. Her hand keeps working between her legs, and the other comes up to her chest, brushing over her right breast. 

Her head turns, and Mildred clamps her eyes shut again. Gwendolyn would be mortified if Mildred— 

_Would_ Gwendolyn? Mildred really isn’t sure. 

At this point, she’d probably invite Mildred to join in. 

Mildred forces herself to be still when Gwendolyn moans aloud— it’s a deep, guttural thing, one that Mildred doesn’t think Gwendolyn could actually contain if she wanted to. She’s never really been able to.

Gwendolyn has gotten Mildred to let go quite a bit, but Mildred isn’t sure she could do _this_. 

Gwendolyn’s hips jerk against the mattress again, and she gasps in a breath, holds it for a few seconds. Her fingers still as the breath stutters out of her; her shoulders twitch up off the bed and then fall back down, and she goes still. 

Mildred listens as Gwendolyn pants for a few moments. “Shit,” Gwendolyn curses, sighs breathily. 

The bed dips as Gwendolyn pushes herself off of it, disappears to the bathroom. Mildred opens her eyes again, reaches for the spot where Gwendolyn had just been. It’s still warm.

When Gwendolyn opens the bathroom door, Mildred turns over, blinks up at her. 

“Don’t worry,” Gwendolyn murmurs, closing the door gently behind her, “just a normal bathroom trip. No nausea. Are you hungry?” 

Mildred is, once again, left confused. 

When they shower later in the day, returning home after an afternoon swim for Gwendolyn, Mildred is again confused by Gwendolyn’s _insistence_.

It’s not that she minds Gwendolyn shoving her against the bathroom wall and burying her face between Mildred’s legs. It’s just a surprise, especially after waking to Gwendolyn already exerting herself. And it’s not that Gwendolyn has ever been selfish; she’s quite giving, more than Mildred would have ever expected, given everything she’s going through. But she hasn’t been _this_ giving in a while. 

Mildred comes with her hands scrabbling at the wall, gasping and twitching as Gwendolyn chuckles against her. “Don’t fall, now,” Gwendolyn chides gently as she stands, “we still have to get clean.” 

Mildred groans in frustration. 

A few days later, Gwendolyn has Mildred pinned to the bed, her thigh between Mildred’s legs, refusing to touch her. “Gwen,” she begs, tugging at Gwendolyn’s arms where they’re braced over her shoulders. 

“I’ve already done the work _several_ times today,” Gwendolyn chuckles. “Come on, baby, you can do it.” 

Mildred groans and pulls at her own hair with one hand. “ _Please_!”

Gwendolyn sighs indulgently. “I suppose I can help a little.”

She lowers herself just a bit, presses a kiss to the corner of Mildred’s mouth. Mildred gasps as Gwendolyn’s hand finds the curve of her breast, turns her face to chase after Gwendolyn’s mouth. Gwendolyn swallows the moans that pour from Mildred, traces her fingers over Mildred’s skin, but doesn’t touch anywhere near Mildred’s hips. 

Gwendolyn shivers happily when Mildred shakes against her. Her kisses become gentler, a smile pressing her lips together, and Mildred clings to her. 

She strokes down Mildred’s abdomen as she spasms lightly. “Beautiful,” Gwendolyn murmurs. “Look at you, so stunning.” 

Mildred shudders lightly and gasps. “ _Gwendolyn_.”

Gwendolyn hums in response, kisses the hinge of Mildred’s jaw. When she pulls back, Mildred is looking up at her with wide eyes, still panting. Gwendolyn’s brow furrows. “Alright, darling?” 

Mildred nods and sucks a steadying breath in. “I don’t— oh, Gwendolyn, I think that might be it for me today.” 

Gwendolyn’s expression softens. “Oh.” She kisses Mildred’s nose gently, chuckles when Mildred wrinkles her nose instinctively. She swings herself off of Mildred, lays herself down, opens an arm to Mildred. She goes to Gwendolyn immediately, rolls into her and cushions cheek against Gwendolyn’s chest. 

Mildred takes a few moments to listen to Gwendolyn’s heartbeat— strong, steady, certain. Gwendolyn’s fingers dance up and down Mildred’s arm.

It almost startles Mildred when Gwendolyn speaks. “Have I been… have I been too demanding of you?”

Mildred lifts her head and looks down at Gwendolyn. It does surprise her, the expression on Gwendolyn’s face. The woman actually looks worried. “Too demanding?” Mildred repeats, dumbstruck. 

Gwendolyn shifts somewhat uncomfortably. Mildred props herself up over Gwendolyn, holding onto Gwendolyn’s shoulder with her free hand as she does. “Gwendolyn?” 

Gwendolyn sighs. “Sorry. I— I’ve been exhausting to you lately, haven’t I?”

Mildred opens and closes her mouth a few times before she finally says, “No? Gwendolyn, wha—“ 

“I just—“ Gwendolyn snaps her mouth shut in fear of interrupting Mildred. Mildred purses her lips through a smile and gestures for her to continue. “I’ve felt… well, I’ve felt better since my doctor started me on mistletoe.” 

“Which is wonderful,” Mildred rushes, “and I am ever so grateful for it.” 

Gwendolyn smiles and squeezes her arm. “And since I’ve felt better, I’ve been able to act on, well.” A faint pinkness crosses Gwendolyn’s cheeks, and Mildred thinks it’s entirely charming, makes her eyes just a bit bluer. “On how much I want you.” 

Mildred feels her own cheeks warm. “Oh,” she breathes, and Gwendolyn hums lightly, reaches up to brush her knuckles over Mildred’s right cheek. 

“Yes,” Gwendolyn murmurs. “And I do— want you, I mean, terribly, and nearly all the time.”

Mildred sucks her bottom lip in and starts to nibble at it before Gwendolyn tugs at it with her thumb. “Was it,” she starts, clears her throat against the huskiness in her voice, “was it this… strong? Before?”

Gwendolyn quirks an eyebrow up. “Well, yes, honestly.” Mildred feels her cheeks warm more, her eyebrows jumping a little in surprise. “Oh, don’t,” Gwendolyn chuckles. “Do I not tell you enough how gorgeous you are? How intelligent, and clever, and generous, and kind?” 

Mildred wiggles a little under the praise. “Stop.” 

“Absolutely not.” 

Gwendolyn pulls her down for a quick kiss, firm and warm and insistent. When she lets Mildred go again, there’s a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. 

“Gwendolyn,” Mildred starts, and Gwendolyn shakes her head lightly. 

“You’re sure it’s not— I’m not overwhelming you?” 

Mildred huffs. “It is overwhelming, sometimes, but everything about you is.” Gwendolyn purses her lips and tries to wait patiently; Mildred doesn’t make her wait very long. “It’s a good thing. I’ve never had anyone want me this way— to want me to, ehm, experience pleasure. And I do enjoy it.”

Gwendolyn’s expression eases. Mildred traces her fingers over the curves of Gwendolyn’s cheeks. “I _also_ hope you remember that I am actually human, and do get sore.” 

Gwendolyn bursts into laughter at that, squeezes Mildred closer as Mildred starts to laugh herself. “I’ll try to keep that in mind, sweetness.” 

Mildred hums in agreement through the last of her chuckles. She pats gently at Gwendolyn’s chest. “And the next time you wake up with a particular _need_ , perhaps wake me so I can help.”

Gwendolyn’s eyes widen, and Mildred giggles as she kisses Gwendolyn’s cheek, feels the heat rising there. “I didn’t want to be rude,” Gwendolyn mutters. 

“I think it was rather rude not to wake me,” Mildred counters through her laughter. Gwendolyn whines lightly and tugs Mildred down so she can hide in Mildred’s neck. 

The morning after the next, Mildred wakes up to lips at her throat and fingers caressing her hand. “Gwendolyn?” she husks. 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Gwendolyn rasps back, and Mildred whines in confusion. She lets Gwendolyn bring her hand to rest on Gwendolyn’s hip, squeezes gently, noses at the side of Gwendolyn’s face until Gwendolyn kisses her. 

It’s not until Gwendolyn grinds against her thigh that it all processes in Mildred’s head. “Oh,” she breathes, grinning against Gwendolyn’s hungry mouth. She brings both hands to Gwendolyn’s hips, tugs them forward as she props her leg up under Gwendolyn. 

“Mildred,” Gwendolyn shudders as she tucks her face into Mildred’s neck. Mildred slides one hand up Gwendolyn’s side, cups the back of her neck. 

“Good _morning_ ,” Mildred answers. She leans up slightly and nips at Gwendolyn’s ear, delights at the way it makes Gwendolyn buck forward. 

She holds Gwendolyn steady, massages at her neck, rasps little encouraging words in Gwendolyn’s ear. She coos as Gwendolyn’s rhythm starts to break and thrusts her own hips up to meet Gwendolyn.

Gwendolyn muffles her moan against Mildred’s neck when her hips still, and Mildred hums sympathetically as she twitches. She smooths her hands over Gwendolyn’s back as the strawberry blonde trembles and pants. 

“Nghh,” Gwendolyn grunts as she pushes herself up moments later, “g— good morning.” 

Mildred chuckles, reaches up to frame Gwendolyn’s face, brushes her thumbs over Gwendolyn’s cheeks. “That’s much better, isn’t it?” 

Gwendolyn snorts weakly and touches their foreheads together. “Yes. Thank you. I love you.”

Mildred tilts her chin up to kiss her, short and sweet and still a little sleepy. “I love you too, you hungry little thing.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey. (eyebrow wiggle) What'ch'y'all think? 
> 
> Drop me a line or a request below, or come yell at me on tumblr ;)


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